Pressing on Bruises
by unicorn guts
Summary: "Don't be stupid, Dib, you've always been mine." ZimxDib, DwickyxDib; ZADR, DADR.
1. Lost Eyesight, I'm on your side

The corner of Zim's mouth lifts into a smile as he chews on the end of his pencil.

Dib is up at the chalk board, solving a long division problem. Dib is nervous, his tries to steady his shaky hand as his chalk clatters against the board, he is aware of all the malicious eyes that bore into his back.

Ms. Bitters called Dib up to the board because he was the only one that aced the test that was given last Friday.

That was unfortunate, he was sitting at his desk all morning with his test paper clutched in his hand, praying that he wouldn't be called up to the board. The big red A+ on his paper mocked him.

Dib was almost finished and he can hear all the cruel whispers behind hands.

The Irken squirms in his seat before jotting down the steps that Dib had written on the board, his eyes were too busy giving the human the once-over.

Dib is done and relieved, he misplaces the chalk on Ms. Bitter's desk and it falls off, the class watches intently while Dib awkwardly bends to pick it up.

Zim stifles a giggle.

Dib stares at the ground, Ms. Bitters tells Dib his answer is correct and begins to tell the class that learning this won't matter because they won't amount to anything anyway.

Dib is dismissed to his desk again and he decides he doesn't want to do any more classwork. He begins to doddle on his paper as the rest of the class if free to mingle, he can hear Zita drag a desk so she could connect it to Gretchen's.

Zim stares at Dib from across the room, he pushes the seat back and strolls up to the honey-eyed human's desk.

The other boy looks up at the alien with a smidge of fear, assuming that the extraterrestrial is just here to torture him.

"Dib-thing!," Zim greets, a hint of mischief in his voice, Dib's expression changes from worried to annoyed. "What are you doing?"

Dib purses his lips, his pencil moving across his paper gracefully, Zim can see that Dib is drawing him - without his disguise on.

Zim bites his lip, trying to hide a smile but failing as he fleetingly thinks about Dib's artistic skills, not very good but better then the rest of the skool children's stick figures.

"Go away, Zim..." Dib exhales deeply, his hand pressed against his cheek, causing the words to come out in a mumble.

"Why?" Zim coos, his hands cupped behind his back, attempting to look sweet.

Dib doesn't buy it.

"Am I bothering you?"

Dib's eye twitches, he clenches the edge of his desk and looks up to glare at Zim.

"Yes," He says venomously, he adds a few finishing touches to his drawing. "Your _always_ bothering me."

The alien is not bothered though, he whistles idly before reaching over to snatch the paper from underneath Dib's arms, the human's jaw drops impolitely.

"Hey!" A pair of pretty bespectacled eyes narrow at the Irken.

Zim grins, glancing at the self-portrait and then waving it in front of the other boy's face.

"Can I keep this?" Zim asks, he wouldn't be surprised if he got a no, Dib raises an eyebrow at him.

"_No_," Dib says, as if it was the stupidest question he has ever heard. "I'm drew it for Dwicky, since I had a hard time explaining what you really look like."

Well, that surprised him.

A puzzled look quickly shadowed Zim's features.

"Dwicky..? The guidance counselor?"

Zim is so annoying, Dib thought as he doodled Zim's name on the top of his paper. First in print, the in cursive next to that, then in a block letter next to that. The alien's forehead creases with a frown, not sure why he was bothered by Dib and his conversations about him with Dwicky.

"What have you told him? Does he believe you?" Zim asked, he reaches over to yank on Dib's sleeve, trying to goad information out of the human. Dib raises both eyebrows - sullen look on his face.

"I don't know, but he listens, and that's enough."

Zim's mouth clamps shut.

"I really like him."

Big gold eyes stare with candor and this leaves Zim with a new insistence to slit Dwicky's throat.

"...Oh..." Zim says, stupidly and Dib snags his paper back, pushing past Zim while mumbling something about crayons.

~.~

Something awful is brewing inside Zim.

Zim's heartbeat pounds in his ears, but his poise remains steady as he grinds his pearly white teeth for a moment longer. He tracks Dib's movements through the crowded hallway, ignoring Keef who had bumped into his shoulder.

Dib walked towards the main office with the alien just behind him, not too far away but not too close either, the raven-haired preteen doesn't notice.

Dib walks into the office and heads straight for the door that says 'guidance counselor' on it's glass window, in which Zim skids to a stop, realizing that he was getting to close. The Irken watches the door slam shut, the human's small frame disappears from his view and that just puts Zim in an even worse mood.

He clenches his fists, falling into the seat closest to the exit.

~.~

The door opens after what felt like two long painful hours and Dib shuffles out, accompanied by Dwicky, who has a goofy grin plastered on his face. Zim's eyes narrow suspiciously when he notices the tint of red on Dib's cheeks, the smaller human rubs his lips as he stares up adoringly at the adult - if Zim didn't know any better, he could have sworn something just went on behind that door.

Dwicky says something, which must have been good because Dib's eyes light up, he then bends down to run his hand through the child's hair. Dib stares at Dwicky's mouth with longing and then the adult steps into his office again.

Zim watches the whole scene with wide eyes, feeling that his squeedly spooch might implode in on itself.

In a flurry, Zim quickly walks up to Dib.

Dib doesn't see Zim coming, he bumps into him and takes a few startled steps back. He blinks, surprise evident on his face.

There is death written in Zim's intense glare.

"Uh...Hi?" Dib says, stunted. "..What are you doing here?"

Zim bites the inside of his cheek, flinching internally at Dib's words, quickly groping for an excuse for seeking him out. Zim cannot hide his anger.

"What was that?" Zim asks, tone dark.

Dib still doesn't understand.

"What was what?"

"You and...that _thing._"

His wide eyes open further, "Me and Dwicky? What about it?"

"You were courting the other human," Zim says sharply, unable to control the fire that shoots up his throat, he spits ash into Dib's face. "_You little whore_."

Dib blushed at the unfamiliar word and wondered why Zim seemed so angry, he hadn't done anything wrong, had he?

Zim is practically foaming at the mouth, reminiscent of a jealous boyfriend as he thinks about Dwicky's head on a shiny, silver platter.

Zim grabs Dib by the collar of his shirt, yanking him close and all Dib can see are a pair of big, blue angry eyes.

"If your smart, you'll stay away from him."

Zim lets him go, stomping out of the office, leaving a frightened Dib behind.


	2. Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind

A month slips away and so does Zim's mental facilities, he spends his time following Dib and monitoring his daily 'conselor' visits, adopting the ways of a low-grade stalker.

One day, Zim had missed out on skool on purpose, just so he could sneak into Dib's room. He spent most of the day planting spy bugs in various areas, and after that was all done, he rummaged through Dib's things.

He found a jacket underneath Dib's bed and was pleasantly surprised to find that it smelled just like him. Zim smoothed out the wrinkles and folded it neatly, placing it in his PAK. He found a notebook that had several different notes about him, and he traced his fingers along Dib's swooping script admiringly before tearing several of the pages out - those went into the PAK too.

Zim had also noticed that Dib's room was quiet messy, he took it upon himself to fix it up a little.

He made Dib's bed and dusted the furniture, he alphabetized his books and fixed his drawers.

He was fluffing Dib's pillow when he noticed the time, 12:30.

Zim left through the front door, not bothering to close the window or to make his prescence in the house less known.

~.~

Dib's not dumb.

He knows that his 'special relationship' with Dwicky is wrong and could get him in really big trouble. Well, it was wrong only on Dwicky's part and only Dwicky could really suffer some consequences if anyone found out, all Dib had to do was cry and say he was taken advantage of.

Zim knew, and even if Dib had been really careful Zim would have known anyway, although Zim's intelligence is questionable from time to time - he's smarter then most and very observant.

Dib doesn't care.

He likes it and Dwicky is a _really _good kisser, he won't let Zim ruin that.

~.~

Zim sat in front of the large computer, his cheek resting against his palm as his other hand's claws drummed against the desk in front of him. The spy bug was planted on a great angle on Dib's ceiling, Zim could see everything from there. Dib hadn't done much today, he played on his computer for a few minutes, watched Mysterious Mysteries re-runs, ate dinner and then came back to do homework.

It's 9:00 when something interesting finally happens.

The human walks to his dresser drawer, sighing and running a hand through his abnormal hair, he bends over and opens the cabinet to take a pair of pajamas out.

Zim can feel something in his squeedly spooch burn, there is a familiar twitch in his crotch, he brings his thumb up to his mouth and bites down on it in anticipation.

Dib's trench coat slides off his shoulders, his shirt is pulled over his head _slowly_ (Zim is so sure that Dib is mocking him), the belt clicks and falls onto the floor.

Zim's hand is hastily shoved down the front of his pants. The Irken is visibly excited, he breathes heavily as he strokes himself, violet sitting high on the alien's cheeks.

Dib wobbles as he pulls his pants down and Zim's pace begins to increase aggressively, Dib is clad only in a cute pair of smiley-face boxers.

Zim thinks about Dib's soft, supple skin and how he would love to bite into it - leaving strawberry colored marks all over. Zim releases, his hand slamming down onto the table with a loud groan.

Dib is done getting dressed.

Zim watches Dib as he scratches his hip, lifting his pajama shirt, as he walks toward the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Zim decides he has nothing else to do and decides he'll just watch Dib sleep.

He loves it especially when Dib snores.


	3. Light My Candles In a Daze

The door is locked.

Dwicky lifts the raven-haired boy onto his desk and Dib's heart pounds as if he just ran a marathon. The older man placed his hands onto Dib's thighs, thumbs moving in a circular motion and sending tingles through the fabric.

Dwicky murmurs something sweet, pressing his forehead against Dib's.

Dib feels overheated and trying to breathe through the tightness in his chest but it feels impossible, he thinks that any second he'll kneel over.

His lips land on the corner of Dib's mouth, almost smiling when he feels Dib shiver. The child clenches the back of Dwicky's shirt, reaching up to kiss him fully on the lips.

It was going great.

There is a sudden knock on the door and before Dib can even notice Dwicky is quickly out of his grasp and panicking.

Dib tilts his head curiously, gold eyes clear like marbles.

"Huh?"

"Shhhh!" Dwicky hisses and Dib covers his mouth, eyes wide, he quickly pushes himself off the desk and brushes a few imaginary wrinkles off his shirt out of nervousness. Dwicky bit his lip in trepidation, rubbing his hands together.

"U-Uh, what is it?"

The lady from the front desk jiggles the handle of the door, realizing that it's locked she says:

"There's a student here to see you."

Dib's eyebrows furrow in an annoyed manner, rolling his eyes and sighing audibly. What a mood killer.

Dwicky shuffles towards the door, terrified as he unlocked it, he took a step back - as if waiting for something awful to walk in.

When Zim steps out of the door with a evil (scary) grin on his face, Dib's mouth falls agape, not out of fear - Zim actually had the audacity to interrupt Dib and Dwicky's private time? Dib's mouth clamps shut, blood running cold and eyes narrowing, he had the mind to reach over and throttle the alien.

"Zim?" Dib asks, regarding Zim with a look he recognizes, pure spite and hatred. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Zim watches the floor almost innocently and Dib's hands ball up into fists. The sound of the lady's heels retreating down the hallway make Dwicky's body ache in relief.

"Well, I've been having some problems that I would like to discuss."

Dib's eyes widen, mouth parting again. _LIAR!_

Dwicky doesn't notice the animosity boiling in the room.

"Great! Why don't you take a seat then...Zim, is it?" Dwicky says, smiling and exposing perfect white teeth for review. He gestures towards the comfy looking chair in front of his desk and Zim nods his head, walking over and taking a seat. The alien ignores Dib's burning eyes.

Dib is then walking out of Dwicky's office, taking one last look at Zim.

The Irken rests his feet onto Dwicky's desk casually, holding Mr. Dwicky's turkey-shaped stress ball and squeezing it with both hands. Zim can feel the human's stare, his mouth curving up into a smirk.

"Bye, Dib." Zim says, sweetly and Dib shudders before closing the door and heading back to class.

**XXXXXX**

Dib is fixating Zim with the most vicious glare anyone has ever seen, the preteen kicks into a nearby kick ball, so hard he almost deflates it - he was imagining he was kicking Zim's face in. _Stupid alien scum jerk._

He grinds his teeth, he growls and cracks his knuckles, considering putting an end to his misery by killing Zim in the middle of the playground. The alien is looking at nothing, sitting on top of the teeter-totter without anyone on the other side, he rejected Keef's company a few minutes earlier - but nicely, as he was in a good mood today.

Dib couldn't stand it, Zim was being so calm and happy, he hated it.

He couldn't just sit there.

Dib stomps towards the teeter-totter, making sure to walk from behind so he could shove Zim's horrible (perfect) face into the sandbox below.

Zim feels himself being grabbed by the shoulders roughly, swooped off of the teeter-totter and slammed (butt) down onto the sand.

Zim lets out a grunt, not sure of what was happening.

"You jerk!" Dib screeches, shoving Zim into the sand and Zim squirms uncomfortably as his cheek was smushed, little particles of sand getting in his mouth. Dib holds Zim's arms from behind, pulling and growling as he used his foot to push Zim down. Zim's back hurts.

He spits the sand out.

"STUPID HUMAN, GET OFF OF ZIIIIIM!"

The Irken thrashes around violently, before finally reaching around to push Dib off.

Dib's view is skewed as he is thrown back, Zim was now sitting on his waist and pining Dib down by his shoulders, Dib makes a face at him. The tables have been turned and the preteen is obviously displeased.

The black-haired duo is not aware of the eyes of their classmates.

"Diblet," Zim drawls, his tongue flickers out of his mouth for a minute, very much like a snake. "That was _very_ rude of you."

Dib wiggles around underneath the other boy's weight and Zim revels in his discomfort, Dib is so sweet when he's angry, Zim would love to violate him here if it weren't for the rest of the skool children.

"Your the rude one!" Dib retorts childishly, kicking and struggling to move his arm from under Zim's hand, as to reach and smack the alien across the face.

"Are you angry that I interrupted your time with your precious Dwicky?" Zim's tone is flat, but there is a hint of mockery in the alien's voice.

A seething anger rises within Dib at the mention of Dwicky's name.

"You weren't_ interrupting _anything because there was nothing to_ interrupt _in the first place!" Dib hisses, brow furrowed. "Why are you so stupid?"

Zim raises an invisible eyebrow at the question, he removes his hands from Dib, who sits up on his palms. The Irken doesn't move and neither does Dib.

"I'm _not_ stupid, I can see what's going on between you and him." Zim says, not sounding half as perturbed as he should. Dib's stomach tightens uncomfortably, he bites his lower lip when he realizes that lying is not worth the try.

"Look, Zim-"

Zim reaches and grabs Dib by the neck violently and Dib's eyes widen, temporarily dumb struck.

"Dib, you should tell Dwicky to leave you alone." Zim says, hand squeezing Dib's chin and brushing his thumb against Dib's lower lip. His clam tone doesn't match the aggression he is physically displaying.

"What? Why would I do that? I like Dwicky! I won't tell him off just because _you_ say so." Dib responds defiantly, voice not strained as Zim's hand loosens up a bit as not to choke him.

Soft blues blink at the human for just a moment, blank expression gracing Zim's face and apathy spreading under his skin like water.

"Dwicky may not continue touching my property." Zim says flatly, sounding confident that Dwicky would not, but as long as Dwicky was around and Dib was willing...

Dib gapes at the deranged alien.

"I'm not anyone's property Zim, least of all yours." Dib growls.

Zim smiles, then laughs, as if this was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Don't be stupid, Dib," Zim says, now looking very amused. "You've always been mine."

The statement swishes around Dib's head and he hardly hears the Skool bell ring until Zim finally lifts himself off.

The kids file away into the Skool building, anxiously waiting to head back inside only to be bored again in class. Dib's body hits the floor hard as Zim trips him with a prim, buckled boot on the way back to class.

**XXXXXX**

Zim discovers the penchant he has for sneaking into Dib's room while he was sleeping, just sitting at the foot of Dib's bed and getting all caught up in the way Dib's chest moved up and down breathing - it was fun and Zim eventually lost interest in the cameras he put in Dib's room. It was a lot more entertaining to come in and watch Dib without a screen.

Zim traipses through the brown and dirty grass of Dib's front yard, he used his spider legs to climb up and force the window open without waking Dib up, he swings inside and lands on the rug soundlessly.

He watches the other boy's chest rise and fall slowly with each deep intake of breath, his arms placed above his head and his pale neck exposed. Zim resists the urges surging up within him, biting them down and forcing them back into his throat.

Dib is resting all the way to the right of his bed, leaving Zim some room to slide in next to him, so Zim does - The Irken pulls his legs up and folds them under himself, pulling the dark blue blanket off of Dib carefully. The bed creaked under the new added weight yet Dib was not bothered, he was mumbling something about Bigfoot in his sleep.

"Such a pretty human.." There's a drawl-like, sing-song quality to his inflection, his antenna's quirk.

It is not completely dark in Dib's room, the moon is peaking through the top of Dib's shades and throwing off a flicker of light inside. If Zim isn't careful, Dib would wake up and see him - not like Zim would care very much, he almost wants the human to wake up.

The comforter lays on top of Dib's knees and Zim couldn't help himself, the alien uses his index finger to raise Dib's shirt, his own breath hitching just a little.

A metal appendage swoops out of Zim's PAK, dangling above Dib's tummy.

This is when Dib wakes up, eyes fluttering open slowly, snaping wide when he sees Zim.

A gloved hand covers the human's mouth, muffling Dib's startled yelp, Zim snickers at him and presses a finger against his lips.

"Shhh."

**XXXXXX**

The hallway is loud and busy with kids rushing in every direction, hugs being distributed to best friends and the two girls playing patty cake near Dib is not lessening his anxiety. Zim stands in front of him, eyes scanning the list of items displayed on the vending machine.

Dib's shirt sticks to his skin uncomfortably, the ointment on his scar just made it feel itchy and Dib bites his lips to prevent himself from crying.

There was a strict discussion last night, Zim made himself very clear as his hand clamped down Dib's mouth, the sharp end of the spider leg carving into Dib's stomach - _Don't be such a baby_ Zim said, the human cried pitifully as he struggled against Zim. _It'll only hurt for a minute, stop whining!_

Blood pooled at Dib's sides as it ran down his stomach, he squeezed his right eye shut, trying to bear the pain but couldn't.

When Zim had left, Dib weeped over his injury and his stained bedsheets.

Dib's eyes graze over Zim, who is now holding a juice pouch he got from the vending machine next to the nurse's office. Zim smiles at him, all sweetness and adoration, it's giving Dib nausea.

"For me?" Dib asks, trying to look enthusiastic but the attempt falls a little flat, he takes the pouch away gingerly. "Thank you..."

Zim steps a little closer, nuzzling his neck against the human's.

"Is something wrong?" He asks.

"No.." Dib says, squeezing the juice pouch and tasting raspberry, the plastic pouch collapses in on itself.

He missed Dwicky.

Zim then pulls Dib in for a kiss, their lips mesh together softly, Dib fakes intimacy as he grabs Zim by the hair to pull him closer.

Dib assumes he did something right when Zim gives him a warm smile.

Good. All he had to do was keep Zim happy so he wouldn't get hurt again.

"I love you, Dibby." Zim coos, a twisted fragment of truth as they walk back to their class, holding hands.

Dib's hand is underneath his shirt, tracing the 'Z' engraved in his chest.

"I love you too.."


End file.
